In a correction tape dispenser, it is important that a strip of tape travels along a correct traveling path. However, it is unavoidable that the tape is required to travel some curved paths in the correction tape dispensers as the tape travels in a loop.
Due to some of the curvy traveling paths, it is difficult to provide enough gliding paths for the tape to glide on. Most of the gliding paths can usually be provided on the applicator head only. However, the gliding paths provided thereon are still not long enough for the tape to travel on. Furthermore, lack of gliding paths is more evident in places where the traveling paths are situated between the applicator head and the spools. If lack of gliding paths is such a case, the gliding paths are unable to provide enough guidance to the tape. The tape can easily sidetrack from the traveling path. Apart from that, the support from the gliding paths is not enough for the tape. It is difficult for the tape to run smoothly. Furthermore, the tape can easily damage.
Also along these curved paths, it is often observed that the tape tends to become loose. Particularly, the tape is more prone to loosening at the application head.
Due to such tape loosening, there is a tendency in designs where the axis of rotation of the spools is arranged perpendicular to the applicator head edge, instead of parallel to the edge. However, it appears apparently that such a design, which is known as a horizontal correction tape dispenser, does not adequately overcome the problem of tape loosening. As such, it is still observed that the tape is loose particularly around the applicator head.
Besides that, the shape of the applicator head often relies on the shape of the spools to form a tape loop. Alternatively, the applicator head is often formed in such a shape that can ease the tape to travel from the spools. As such, if seen from sideways, the applicator head often comes in a triangular or a circular shape. Because of these shapes, with reference to FIG. 1, a gap tends to form between the tape and its gliding path.
It is important that the bottom surface of a gliding tape always remains touching the gliding path around the applicator head so that the correction layer can be applied properly, i.e. no tape loosening. In light of this, it is also often seen in prior arts that protuberances or ridges are always formed on top of the gliding path around the applicator head. These protuberances are always formed in a rounded shape or as a slope.
These protuberances maintain the tape so that the tape always remains in touch with the gliding path. As a result of this, such protuberances can also act as if a mechanism to “pull” or cause the tape to be tighter around the applicator head. However, since the protuberance only remains in touch with the tape at certain area thereof, the tightening effect can only work around the same area. Hence, the tightening effect is only limited to a small area of contact between the protuberance and the tape. Because of this, these protuberances are unable to tighten the tape sufficiently around the applicator head.
There are also often instances in which the loosen tape slips off or does not follow the traveling path anymore. As such, guidance features (sidewalls, groove, ribs, and etc.) are provided to guide the tape. The guidance features should include the afore-mentioned protuberances as these protuberances also contribute to the guidance of the tape particularly around the applicator head.
Although there are guiding features, due to the tendency of the tape to become loose at the curved paths, it is difficult for the tape to tightly glide on top of most of gliding paths. Also, for this same reason, the tape does not often wind the applicator head tightly. In light of this, it is apparent that without the tape traveling tightly along the traveling path or the tape winding tightly around the applicator head, it is difficult for the guiding features to guide the tape along the traveling path.
Moreover, such guiding features are usually a waste of material. Due to the material consumption, higher costs are involved. Given that these guiding features are formed in miniature detail, they are quite complex to be manufactured. As a result of this, more time is also needed for manufacturing.
Apart from that, most of these correction tape dispensers consist of parts, which require extra material, labor, assembly, and other affecting costs to manufacture. Therefore, there is a need for a correction tape dispenser in reduced number of parts, where this would tremendously affect the entire cost of manufacturing.
In addition, current correction devices are shaped in a way that do not guide the user's hand to hold the correction device in a preferred manner. This leads to users experiencing fatigue, discomfort through prolonged use of the device due to using the improper hold.
Majority of the correction devices available are biased towards right handed users, hence left handed users would have difficulty in holding the correction devices comfortably.
Due to the construction of the correction devices currently available, many can easily break when dropped due to having a parting line between the top and bottom of the body.
There are not many correction devices that are ergonomically shaped and resistant to drops from tables to the ground, from a throw, or an abrupt descent to the ground.
Typically, such correction tape dispensers consist of a main body for accommodating the correction tape supply reel and take up reel, and an applicator head for guiding the correction tape and applying the same on a surface to cover the clerical errors. In this type of correction pen, the applicator head is not tightly attached to the main body so that during operation, the applicator head and main body are moveable in relation to each other for preventing excess pressing force exert by a user in which the excess pressing force might break the correction tape dispenser.
One example of this type of correction tape dispenser is described in European publication EP 2 070 856 A1. In this prior art, the correction tape dispenser consists of a housing accommodating a correction tape supply reel and take up reel, and an applicator head longitudinally projecting from said housing with said correction tape extending from the supply reel at the lower longitudinal side of the applicator head facing the correction surface. The applicator head consists of at least one guiding wing, characterized in that the at least one guiding wing is partially curved and that the partially curved guiding wing is attached to the front portion of the applicator head.
The primary object of this prior art is to properly guide the correction tape, and improve the flexibility and structural strength of the applicator head. By having the guiding wing structure attached to the front portion of the applicator head, it is able to prevent the correction tape from evading the applicator head and compensate the excess pressing force exert by a user. However, the disadvantage of this prior art is that this applicator head required higher number of components to manufacture, as the structure of the applicator head is substantially complex, which required components such as the applicator head and the guiding wing arranged in multiple planes. Therefore, the correction tape dispenser also increases the cost, complexity of mould, tooling and moulding process, and complexity of manufacturing process.
Hence, there is a need to provide an applicator head for a correction tape dispenser that is able to reduce the number of components, complexity of the structure, complexity of mould, complexity of tooling and moulding process, and the complexity of manufacturing, and provide higher flexibility and structural strength.
In light of the above, a correction tape dispenser device that can overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks is therefore very much needed.